Girl Scouts In the News: March 2011 Archives

Laurel J. Richie, senior vice president and chief marketing officer of Girl Scouts of the USA has been honored as one of The Network Journal's 25 Influential Black Women in Business for 2011. Many of us met Laurel at GSSA's 2010 annual meeting in Daphne.

Richie, recognized for her key role in rolling out the Girl Scouts' brand-repositioning initiatives in 2010, credits her Girl Scout experience of selling cookies for instructing her on the fundamentals of marketing. Under Richie's leadership, the multi-cultural and Hispanic campaign roll-out continues. Print executions recently appeared in Oprah and Time magazines, and the campaigns have expanded into airport, mall, highway and transit out-of-home locations across the country. Media impressions to date have topped 1 billion, with donated media valued at $23 million.

Our Annual Cookie Sale gets the attention of cookie lovers AND the media!  Here are some recent articles:

From FoodProcessing.com
"This year, for the first time, the Girl Scouts are...testing the new, greener package for Thanks-A-Lot cookies. By eliminating the carton, the switch will reduce the use of paperboard by 150 tons, enough to fill 14 garbage trucks.

"The reason ABC is trying this out is because girls were asking for it," says Molly Smart, director of public relations and marketing with the Girl Scouts of Southern Alabama, Mobile, Ala. "And they've certainly been excited about it."

From the Wall Street Journal online
This article relates different company policies regarding sales and charitable donations -- some don't allow it, some think Girl Scout cookie booths encourage sales at their own businesses.  There's a photo of girls from our council, and one of our local businesses is highlighted.  Have you ever had a booth sale at My Kids Attic?

"Some small-business owners say they welcome the opportunity to support members of their local community through cookie sales, and even encourage the Girl Scouts to do the selling themselves."

It's only right that Girl Scout cookies are newsworthy: Thin Mints are the best-selling cookies in the USA!

Did you know?  There are 3 Girl Scout FIRST Lego League teams in a field of over 120 teams in the FIRST Lego League Global Innovation Award competition!   The winner of the Global Innovation Award will receive a grant for up to $20,000 to fund a full utility patent for their device and start getting it out to others who need it.  The top 3 are invited to the Awards Ceremony in Washington D.C and will present their project to the US Patent and Trade Office!

Voting closes on Friday, March 18 and Girl Scouts need votes..  Please vote for them daily from every IP address available.  This would do a huge favor to the girls and show people all the wonderful things girls can do when they are empowered.   
 
The Flying Monkeys Girl Scout Team created a prosthetic hand device (the BOB-1) to help a little girl who was born without fingers. This team is now in 4th place!!!
To vote for the Flying Monkeys:
http://fllinnovationaward.firstlegoleague.org/teams/flying-monkeys/submission/bob-1-hand-device

 
The LOL Comets Girl Scout Team thought of the KAT Map- an indoor GPS for the blind they would like to build. To vote for the LOL Comets:
http://fllinnovationaward.firstlegoleague.org/teams/lol-comets/submission/kat-map-door-gps-blind
 
The Dbots,  are working on a "Shirt of Awesomeness" to build a shirt that would be a back brace to help middle schoolers with heavy backpack loads and those with scoliosis who need a  brace to correct their medical condition. To vote for the Dbots:
http://fllinnovationaward.firstlegoleague.org/teams/d-bots/submission/shirt-awesomeness